The lungs of the planet
The warning indicators of an impending ecological collapse keep piling up. Forests get most of the headlines, but in many ways the oceans are the lungs of the planet. And they’ve been smoking 30 a day for too long.
Open mike 29/07/2010
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NZF dodges the Lhaws bullet
Must admit my heart sank this morning when I read that “Winston Peters and his former adviser Michael Laws are to team up again as part of a “relaunch†of the party this year”…
Wage gap $40 a week wider under Nats
Closing the wage gap with Australia was one of National’s key promises in the leadup to the 2008 election, but the Dom Post reports today that the wage gap has grown by another $40 a week under National’s watch.
Can we stop pretending now that National ever really had a plan to close the wage gap?
The states of John Key – Nasty side
Sixth of a series by Guest poster Blue.
John Key is not always the affable everyman he appears to be. There’s a solid streak of bully in him not uncommon in people who crave power.
The original justification or no justification at all?
During the election the National Party packaged up its policies so as not to scare voters. The 90 day probationary period was for two specific reasons. It was targeted toward people on the margins of the employment market and only applicable to small businesses. Either the original justifications still hold true, hence undermining any argument to extend the scheme, or the original justifications were rubbish from the very start.
Workers and Dear John
National is making a total mess of industrial relations. Two different news items yesterday tell the same story: the unions are angry, and the PPTA teachers are angry. Nats beware. Nice Mr Key could so quickly become Dear John…
Open mike 28/07/2010
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Key gambles with Aucklanders’ future
John Key glibly admitted yesterday that the Supercity is “risky”. We’ve been saying it all along and the evidence is all that the Supercity will be expensive, unrepresentative, and unresponsive to local needs.
So, if it’s so risky, why the hell is Key doing it?
(blink)FREE movie download!(/blink)
The Yes Men have become famous for impersonating people and organisations in an effort to make political points. They’re now being sued by […]
Gutless backdown will cost money and lives
So, National has failed to act on drink driving. The Director of the National Addiction Centre calls it “scandalous”. While recidivist and youth […]
Truth out on wars
Deputy PM and leader of the Lib Dems, Nick Clegg, caused a bit of a sensation last week when he pronounced Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war illegal. And yesterday Wikileaks published a massive cache of American military files exposing the truth about the war in Afghanistan. Not a good week for warmongers.
Open mike 27/07/2010
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The states of John Key – Avoidance
Fifth of a series by Guest poster Blue.
A Prime Minister refusing to front their government’s Budget is practically unheard of. But John Key avoids being asked any hard questions, possibly because he doesn’t know how to handle them?
Where’s their evidence?
National wants to make a change, they’ve got to make a powerful case that the change will have the results they claim. So where’s their evidence? Where are the models, the studies, the scenarios? They haven’t got any. This is faith-based government. Based on faith in the neo-liberal god. This is guess based government. The guess being that we’ll keep voting for that Nice Man Mr Key.
The real economy vs the casino
For the business pages, it’s Reserve Bank week and once again the banks want the Governor to push up the price of money, […]
The underclass
Remember when John Key used to talk about the “underclass”. Much recently of course John Key’s policy direction has been more about pandering to the wealthy elite, so you don’t hear so much from John Key about his concerns for the underclass anymore. But worries about the underclass still concern some people.
Promises
When is a promise not a promise? Clearly John Key has promises that he is afraid to break, promises that he tries to break (and backs down when caught), and promises that he feels he can break with impunity.
Another win for union members
The Herald reports that Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union members have won the right to a substitute holiday to make up for the fact that Anzac Day and Easter Monday fall on the same day this year as well as a three percent pay rise for this year and another next year.
You read that right, at a time when the government is attacking workers rights two thousand EPMU members are increasing their holidays and getting a pay rise.
Open mike 26/07/2010
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The states of John Key – Flexible in telling the truth
Fourth of a series by Guest poster Blue.
Honesty, transparency and trust were central planks of Key’s 2008 election bid. However the ‘Key wriggle’ was well on the way to becoming a signature dance move
National = Ideological Stupidity.
National have been undemocratically shutting down the avenues to amend their ideologically stupid legislation. They ignore submissions to select committees and abuse the parliamentary process of urgency. The only effective means of diverting them from pushing through unworkable legislation is proving to be protests and direct action. Consequently you can expect to see a lot more of it.
A few brief points about the attacks on workers
Having just watched the q + a interview with Council of Trade Unions President Helen Kelly and Alasdair Thompson from the EPMA (a must-watch, Kelly did a great job) I think there are a few things that need to be said:
We have it wrong…
We have it all wrong. What Brownlee was really trying to say. From William Joyce
Open mike 25/07/2010
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Destroying the School Trustees Association
The NZSTA is supposed to represent its members – School Boards of Trustees. Instead they have become little more than a conduit of Minister Tolley’s National Standards propaganda.
A closer look: National’s Energy Strategy
No Right Turn had an interesting post on National’s Energy Strategy or more correctly a general lack of it yesterday.
Yesterday the government released its Draft New Zealand Energy Strategy [PDF] for consultation. So, how does it compare with Labour’s 2007 version? The difference is easy to spot. Labour’s energy strategy was about shifting to a sustainable, low-emissions energy infrastructure. National’s is about finding oil.
The states of John Key – The Salesman
Third of a series by Guest poster Blue. Now looking at John Key – The Salesman.
An old post of Marty G’s on the Standard says “One of the stories from John Key’s days as a currency trader is that he was always more of a salesman than an analyst.
The states of John Key – The drivers
Second of a series by Guest poster Blue. Now looking at what drives John Key.
The biggest clue is how when he was younger, his aim in life was to ‘make a million dollars and be Prime Minister’.
The states of John Key – Quantum uncertainty
This series by guest poster Blue has a look at John Key now that we know a bit more about him.
Our PM is a marvel of modern physics – with any issue he manages to appear to be on both sides of the fence at the same time.
Why Socialism? – Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein’s essay “Why Socialism?”, originally published in the first issue of Monthly Review (May 1949).
Open mike 24/07/2010
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I’d phone a friend but they’re all Young Nats too
Halfcaste interviews a selection of Young Nats at their recent conference. Interviewer: “What’s your favourite tribe?” Young Nat: “To be honest I don’t […]
U turns
Another gem from Tom Scott.
MFAT leak too convenient
Why would someone in MFAT feel the need to interfere in the Australian election by leaking to the Australian media? I’ve been accused of conspiracy theories in the past but this leak seems all too convenient when National’s old mates Crosby Textor are up against it in Aussie.
I Owe My Soul….to the Company Store
The words of this old song date back to the 1800’s when dominant and rapacious employers in small company towns would require their […]